An Invitation...and A Challenge

Do you know a single, Catholic woman between 18 and 35 who might be interested in a 24 hour monastic experience?

Do you know single, Catholic woman who is looking for something more in her life?

Is there a single woman in your family, parish, Newman Center, college dorm, workplace that might possibly benefit from our 24 Monastic Moment experience?

If the answer is yes (or even maybe) to any of these questions, feel free to direct them to our website for more information or give them the information provided below.

Studies tell us that many of the men and women who are currently priests or religious brothers or sisters first thought of it after a personal invitation. It could be as simple as the question: Have you ever thought about religious life? It is okay to ask even those that don't seem like likely candidates...God can work with all kinds of people.

When I was young, my parents were pretty confident that there was a potential vocation in our family. We have a history of religious vocations in our extended family...so why not ours. My brother, John, proclaimed that he wanted to be a priest after he served his first Mass. My younger sister, Juli, could rattle off her prayers and bible verses before she was 4.  Then, there was me, the oldest who couldn't seem to sit still very well, loved to sing in the kid's choir and was always looking for the next adventure. Well, with two potential vocations--I guess I was okay. Oh, and I also proclaimed loud and long that I had no visions of religious life in my future.

When I was 18, one of our parish priests invited me to spend a weekend with some friends of his. He asked me not once but multiple times until I said: Okay, I'll go. That was about 35 years ago now. What I found in that weekend was that religious women could be fun and funny, intelligent and competent...and they even liked some of the things I liked. After that weekend I decided to give religious life a serious look. I entered St. Joseph Monastery 4 years later and have been here ever since.

That one invitation from that priest opened my mind and many doors for me.

Do you know a single, Catholic woman who might be ready for a change? Invite her to Monastic Moment.  For more information visit our website: stjosephmonastery.org or call (918)746-4203.

Sr. Catherine